Woman dies after anesthesia, Kingwood, Memorial dentists sued

Family members are suing a Kingwood-area oral surgeon and a Memorial-area periodontics specialist over claims their carelessness caused the death of a loved one.

Jack H. Castle Jr. and Lisa Castle, on behalf of the deceased Loretta Castle, filed a wrongful death lawsuit on Monday, June 18 in the Harris County District Court against oral surgeon Harold Clark Whitmire Jr., of Kingwood, and Susan B. Paoloski, who specialized in periodontics in Memorial.

The Castles say Loretta Castle died after her blood pressure dropped while undergoing dental surgery on May 9, 2011. When the defendants failed to necessitate Castle, medics transported her to the hospital, where she was pronounced brain dead on May 12, 2011, according to the brief.

The suit alleges the defendants failed to intubate Castle when they noticed the drop in blood pressure and then waited too long to call for help after they realized she was in distress.

The Castles are seeking damages and court costs. They are being represented in the case by Houston attorney Norman Straub.

Harris County District Court Case No. 2012-35194.
This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed at the Harris County Courthouse. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.